Over half a century after they released their final album, The Beatles continue to earn accolades. At the 2024 Grammy Awards, the Fab Four picked up the trophy for Best Music Video, for the song “I'm Only Sleeping.” To mark the release of the remastered version of their daring 1966 album Revolver, visual artist Em Cooper was commissioned to create a video for this track.
“I'm Only Sleeping” features Lennon in the musical driver’s seat, singing about the joys of staying in bed. Additionally, the song includes a backwards lead guitar part played by George Harrison. This was the first time this technique was used in a pop track—a testament to the experimental nature of Revolver.
To bring this video to life, Cooper used an equally experimental approach. She produced a stop-motion animation made of 1,300 oil paintings, created over several months. After finishing one, she would photograph it and alter it for the next shot. Once a scene was ready, she would start anew with a blank canvas for the following sequence.
Cooper's paintings draw heavily from the psychedelic imagery that inspired the latter half of The Beatles' work. Still, the artist makes time to show some iconic moments and looks of their career—even including a cameo of their former manager, Brian Epstein. Like waking up from a dream, the final seconds of the video show Cooper cleaning up her workspace after taking us in this oneiric adventure.
h/t: [Neatorama]
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